Hi Dr Rassman,
Once Propecia is stopped, will DHT levels return to thier high levels prior to the introduction of Finasteride to the body? Is it true that impotence is associated to low levels of DHT?
DHT levels return to their normal level upon stopping finasteride. I do not know why some people on finasteride lose their sex drive (less than 1%). DHT is a less potent male hormone than testosterone and when people are started on Propecia, there are reports that testosterone blood levels rise. Some older men reported to me that their sex drive went up on Propecia and I know that they are telling the truth because their wives (some of them) complained about it to me.
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What about impotence, is it related to DHT? is impotence as a result of finasteride because it lowers DHT levels? This would seem probable if testosterone increases by %15. Could you please clarify?
You also mention that DHT is less potent than testosterone. I’ve done a bit of research and have found This isn’t true otherwise hair loss would not occur because DHT is said to be up to 3 times more potent than testosterone due to its high affinity to the androgen receptor. Wikipedia even mentions DHT as 30 times more potent than testosterone.
here are some references:http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/itemLC500142.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrotestosterone
“DHT is a less potent male hormone than testosterone” – DHT is 3 times more potent than testosterone; testosterone is 5-10 times more potent than adrenal androgens. Get your facts straight Dr. Rassman! – “I do not know why some people on finasteride lose their sex drive” – DHT plays a crucial role in both sex drive and the growth of muscle tissue, the reason sex drive and muscle development is suppressed with Propecia is less DHT.
“DHT is a less potent male hormone than testosterone”
Actually, DHT is in fact a much more potent androgen than testosterone. It binds its receptor with up to 10X the affinity than testosterone. I learned this at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and it is a well known fact.